The Wounded Thorn
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A retired teacher and her friend are caught up in a mystery when they visit Glastonbury, one of Britain's most fascinating historical sites . . .
Hilary is a recently retired teacher, and with time on her hands—and her husband away doing volunteer work in war-torn Gaza—she needs a distraction. So she invites her good friend Veronica, a recent widow, to accompany her on a trip to Glastonbury, to see the ancient sights.
The pair is saddened to discover that the sacred Glastonbury Thorn tree has been severely damaged, and they wonder whether other local historic sites are under threat too. But they are unprepared for the shocking discovery Hilary makes at the Chalice Well: an abandoned bag, containing a bomb . . .
Who is to blame? A foreign tourist? An eccentric pagan author? Or an angry local who resents that a Christian place has been "overrun" by other beliefs? Hilary and Veronica just want to enjoy their holiday, but they're about to be pulled into a mystery . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this strong first in a new series from Sampson (Beneath the Soil and five other Suzie Fewings genealogical mysteries), mayhem rocks Glastonbury, the traditional heart of British Christianity and now a center for more esoteric cults. Retired teacher Hilary Masters, whose husband is doing volunteer work in Gaza, and her recently widowed friend, Veronica Taylor, are on holiday in Glastonbury when they discover an abandoned knapsack containing a bomb at one of the town's main attractions, the Chalice Well. They later become key witnesses when a blast in the High Street kills seven. Are the bombs an organized attack on Christianity, a protest against the presence of other faiths in a staunchly Christian community, or a terrorist act by followers of an ancient pagan rite? Hilary's keen intelligence and Veronica's intuition guide them to the unexpected conclusion. Anglophiles will appreciate that Sampson doesn't stint on physical description of this beautiful but less well-known area of Britain.
